Hitching device.



No. 745,808. PATENTED DEG- 1, 1903.

J. M. FAIR, JR., O. E. TAYLOR, T. MILLS & R. B. L. SNODGRASS. 4

HITGHING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 19, 1903.

No MODEL.

`o screw-threaded to engage screw-threads in a "UNITED STATES Patented December 1, 1903.

PATENT OFFICE.

JOSEPH M. FAIR, JR., ORR E. TAYLOR, THOMAS MILLS, AND ROBERT E. L. SNODGRASS, OF NEW MARTINSVILLE, WEST VIRGINIA.

HITCHING D EIVICE..V

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters .Patent N o. 745,808, dated December 1, 1903.

Application filed March 19l 1903.

To @Z LU/1,0m t may concern:

Be it known that we, JOSEPH M. FAIR, Jr., ORE E. TAYLOR, THOMAS MrLLs, and ROBERT E. L. SNoDeRAss, residents of New Martins- 5 ville, in the county of lVetzel and State of Test Virginia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Hitching Devices; and we do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the inio vention, such as will enable. others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

Our invention relates to an improved hitching device, the object of the invention being to provide improvements of this character which may be used in cities and towns forbidding the use of ordinary bitching-posts, and, further, to provide an improved tube or casing embedded in the ground and containzo ing a bitching-chain or other flexible connecting device normally held inclosed or for the most part inclosed in the casing or tube and returned to such position by a weight, and provide improved means for locking the chain extended any desired distance.

1Vith these objects in View the invention consists in certain novel features of construction and combinations and arrangements of parts, as will be more fully hereinafter dego scribed, and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a viewin longitudinal section illustrating our improvements. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the cap, and Fig. 8 is a view illustrating the hitchingchain drawn out to a position for hitching.

1 represents a tube or cylindrical casing, preferably of metal, either cast or drawn, or it may be made of composition or any suitable material and may be otherwise shaped. This casing is open at its bottom to permit any water which may find its way into the casing to escape, and before inserting the casing into the ground the hole is dug sufficiently large and deep to allow of theinsertion of sand and gravel to permit free drainage from the tube or casing, and thereby prevent freezing.

The upper end of the tube l is externally cap or closure 3. This cap can, however, be

Serial No. 148,601. (No model.)

secured in various other ways, but is preferably water-tight and easily removable to permit ready access to the interior of the casing when desired.

The cap 8 has in one side a depression or pocket el, the rear or inner wall of which being approximately vertical and made with an opening 5 for the passage of a chain 6 or other exible connecting device, and when the 6o term f chain is hereinafter mentioned it is to be understood that it includes any iiexible connecting device-such as a rope, cable, wire, etcwhich could be crowded into the notch, or such iiexible device may be provided with knots or projections. This chain 6 at its inner end is secured to the cap 3 and is passed belowa roller u aweight 8. The weight is just sufficient to return the chain to the casing when released, as will herein- 7o after appear.

The top 8a of the cap 3 is preferably cut aWay somewhat and is made with an angular or L-shaped slot or recess 9, into which the chain can be inserted to lock it in any position, and a depending arm 10 is provided on the cap to limit the upward movement of the Weight. The outer end of the chain has a snap-hook 11 and has an enlargement or button 12 thereon to limit the inward movement 8o of the chain, thus serving as a stop therefor.

In operation when it is desired to hitch an animal the chain is pulled out through the cap any desired distance and moved into the slot or recess 9 to relieve the animal of the 85 pull of Weight 8, and when the animal is released and the chain moved out of slot or recess 9 the Weight will draw the greater portion of the chain into the casing.

Slight changes might be made in the gen- 9c eral form and arrangement of the parts de` scribed without departing from our invention, and hence we do not confine ourselves to the precise construction set forth, but consider ourselves at liberty to make such slight changes and alterations as fairly fall within the spirit and scope of our invention.

Having fully described onrinvention, what We claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is Ioo 1. In a hitching device, the combination with a casing, of a flexible connecting device secured at one end in the casing, aweight to draw the same into the casing, means for limiting the inward movement of the connecting device, and means for locking it projected any desired distance.

2. In a bitching device, the combination with a casing, of a cap closing the casing, a chain secured at itsinner end to the cap and projecting through the same, a snap-hook on the outer end of the chain, and an enlargement or button thereon to limit the inward movement of the chain, a weight in the casing having a pulley or roller supported on the chain, and means on the cap to lock the chain projected any desired distance.

3. In a bitching device, the combination with a tube or cylindrical casing embedded in the ground and open at its bottom, of a cap secured on theupper end of the tube or casing to lie Hush with the ground, a chain, rope, or other exible connecting device, secured at its inner end to the cap, and projecting through an opening therein, aweight supported on the intermediate portion ofthe chain in the casing, and said cap having an angular slot or recess therein to receive the chain and lock it in any position.

4. In a bitching device, the combination with a tube or cylindrical casing to be embedded in the ground, of a cap secured on the tube or casing and having a depression or pocket therein, a chain passed through an opening in the wall of said pocket and secured to the inner face of the cap, a Weight on the intermediate portion of the chain in the casing, the top of the cap over the pocket having an angular slot or recess therein to receive the chain and lock it projected any de sired distance.

5. In a hitching device, the combination with a tube or cylindrical casing embedded in the ground, open at its bottom and supported on a gravel or other draining bed, of a cap secured on the tube or casing, a chain secured to the cap and projecting through an opening therein, a Weight on the intermediate portion of the chain in the casing, means on the cap for limiting.,r the upward movement of the Weight, and means on the cap for locking the chain projected any desired distance.

In testimony whereof We havev signed this specification in the presence of two subscribing Witnesses.

J. M. FAIR, JR.

O. E. TAYLOR. THOMAS MILLS.

R. E. L. SNODGRASS.

Witnesses:

GLEN SNoDGRAss, CHAs. W. BARRICK. 

